The King's Affection (), is a 2021 South Korean television series starring Park Eun-bin, Rowoon, Nam Yoon-su, Choi Byung-chan, Bae Yoon-kyung, and Jung Chae-yeon. The story is based on Lee So-young's manhwa Yeonmo. It aired on KBS2 from October 11 to December 14, 2021, every Monday and Tuesday at 21:30 (KST) for 20 episodes. It also premiered worldwide on Netflix on the same day.
The King's Affection is the first South Korean television series to win an International Emmy Award.
Synopsis The story is set during the Joseon period.
Dam-yi's birth The plot is driven by the power-hungry Left State Councillor of Joseon, Lord Sangheon (a.k.a. Han Ki-jae). At the start of the series, he has staged a coup enabling his daughter's husband, Hyejong, to be made crown prince (later king) by killing the King's brother and the King's brother's son, Prince Dohyeon. Thus Lord Sangheon is Joseon's power behind the throne.
Lord Sangheon's daughter gives birth to twins: a boy (Lee Hwi) and a girl (Dam-yi). Believing that a boy who has shared the womb with a girl is ineligible to rule, Lord Sangheon orders that the twin birth should be kept secret and Dam-yi murdered. But instead of murdering the girl, Lord Sangheon's daughter's faithful servant Commander Yoon Hyeong-seol abandons Dam-yi outside a monastery.
Dam-yi's childhood Later in her childhood, Dam-yi, unaware of her parentage, becomes a servant in the palace. She and the son of Chief Inspector Jung Seok-jo, Jung Ji-woon, fall in love. Dam-yi's twin brother, now the crown prince, realises that he and Dam-yi look identical, and changes places with her in order to sneak out of the palace to witness the execution of his beloved tutor, Kang Hwa-Gil (a.k.a. Ik-Sun). Kang Hwa-Gil had sought to reform Joseon's corrupt court. We later learn that he was executed through the machinations of Lord Sangheon.
Lord Sangheon realises that Dam-yi is alive and orders Chief Inspector Jung Seok-jo to murder her. In a case of mistaken identity, Jung Seok-jo unwittingly murders Crown Prince Lee Hwi while he is disguised as Dam-yi. Thus Dam-yi, whose true identity is known only to Lee Hwi's mother, his lady-in-waiting Kim, and his chief eunuch Hong, is forced to take on Lee Hwi's identity permanently.
Jung Ji-woon realises his father Jung Seok-jo's murderous ruthlessness and, in disgust, enters self-imposed exile in Ming. He becomes a renowned doctor and saves the life of Ming's Vice-Minister of Rites.
Dam-yi's mother dies young; Dam-yi's father King Hyejong then marries the daughter of the ambitious Chief State Councillor, Lord Changchun. They have a son, Grand Prince Jehyeon (a.k.a. Lee Gyeom), a potential competitor to Dam-yi for the throne. Realising the danger that Lord Sangheon poses to both his surviving children, King Hyejong seeks to build up Lord Changchun's power as a counterweight to Lord Sangheon.
Dam-yi also has an uncle and two cousins who would have been in line for the throne were it not for Lord Sangheon's treachery: the boorish Prince Changwoon and the sons of Prince Dohyeon, the scheming Prince Wonsan and the honourable Prince Jaeun (a.k.a. Lee Hyun). Prince Jaeun realises that Dam-yi is a girl, but both falls in love with her and supports her with unfailing loyalty.
Dam-yi as crown prince The story now skips to Dam-yi's early adulthood. Still disguised as Lee Hwi, she remains crown prince of Joseon.
Learning that Ming's Vice-Minister of Rites will come to Joseon on an embassy, Lord Sangheon has Chief Inspector Jung Seok-jo force his son Jung Ji-woon to become tutor to Dam-yi, in order to take advantage of Jung Ji-woon's good relationship with the Minister. Jung Ji-woon and Prince Jaeun co-operate to help Dam-yi negotiate with the embassy.
Without Jung Ji-woon knowing Dam-yi's true identity, the two fall in love (again). Jung Ji-woon endeavours to stay close to and to protect Dam-yi hereafter, but the two believe that a relationship is impossible. Prince Jaeun realises that Jung Ji-woon and Dam-yi love each other and selflessly works for Dam-yi's happiness.
Dam-yi's cousin Prince Wonsan seeks the throne. When Prince Changwoon alienates himself from the court by his scandalous behaviour, Wonsan helps Changwoon stage his suicide, implying that Dam-yi's treatment of Wonsan is to blame. He then conspires with Lord Changchun to remove Dam-yi from the line of succession. Exiled, Dam-yi reveals her sex to Jung Ji-woon and the two briefly hope that they can live happily together in exile. However, Lord Sangheon murders King Hyejong with a distinctive poison called sonangcho; successfully frames Lord Changchun, exiling Lord Changchun, his daughter, and Grand Prince Jehyeon; and forces Dam-yi to become king by threatening to kill her half-brother and other friends.
Meanwhile, the son of Crown Prince Lee Hwi's childhood tutor, Kim Ga-on (a.k.a. Kang Eun-seo), is bent on avenging his father. After becoming an expert fighter in Joseon's army, he fakes an assassination attempt on Dam-yi in order to get a job as a bodyguard for Dam-yi, enabling him to infiltrate the palace. This enables him, one by one, to murder the people who conspired to execute his father. He aspires to murder the King himself, but when the King is murdered, Kim Ga-on realises that the real killer of his father is Lord Sangheon, and goes on to pledge allegiance to Dam-yi.
Dam-yi as king Lord Sangheon rules as the power behind the throne, with Dam-yi as his puppet. He forces Dam-yi to marry, giving rise to the risk that Dam-yi's sex will be exposed.
However, Dam-yi plots Lord Sangheon's overthrow, hoping to abdicate in favour of her young half-brother Grand Prince Jehyeon. She gathers evidence that Lord Sangheon is building a private army. She is aided by Commander Yoon Hyeong-seol. While trying to find evidence of Lord Sangheon's plot, Commander Yoon is killed by Jung Seok-jo, but Kim Ga-on manages to bring the evidence to Dam-yi. Jung Seok-jo discovers that his son is having an affair with Dam-yi, realises that he murdered the wrong twin, and begins to regret his life of bloodshed in the service of Lord Sangheon.
Meanwhile, Prince Wonsan discovers Dam-yi's placenta and realises that the King must have been born a twin, and moreover that the king might be a woman. He dispatches Prince Changwoon to ambush Dam-yi to try to prove his theory. Prince Changwoon succeeds in cutting open Dam-yi's robe to reveal the bands around her breasts, but is beaten off by both Jung Ji-woon and Jung Seok-jo. Prince Changwoon goes on to boast in a brothel that the King is a woman. Jung Seok-jo soon murders him to keep Dam-yi's secret, but not before the rumour spreads; the rumour is exacerbated by rumours that the King is not having sex with his wife and that he is in love with Jung Ji-woon.
As matters come to a head, Prince Wonsan invites Lord Sangheon to support his bid for the throne. Eventually, realising that the puppet king is increasingly a liability to him, Lord Sangheon agrees.
Realising that her secret will soon be revealed, Dam-yi sends her lady-in-waiting Kim and her chief eunuch Hong into hiding to protect them from Lord Sangheon. As she flees, Kim explains to Jung Ji-woon that the King is in fact Jung Ji-woon's childhood love Dam-yi, and that Jung Ji-woon's father Jung Seok-jo killed Dam-yi's brother while trying to kill Dam-yi herself. This consolidates Jung Ji-woon adult love for Dam-yi.
With the help of his father, Jung Ji-woon finds the sonangcho poison in Lord Sangheon's study, providing the last piece of evidence Dam-yi needs to prosecute her grandfather for treason. Lord Sangheon is imprisoned and condemned to death, but he escapes and he and Prince Wonsan raise Lord Sangheon's army and storm the palace.
In the ensuing struggles, Grand Prince Jehyeon, Prince Wonsan, and Jung Seok-jo are all killed. Dam-yi feigns surrender to Lord Sangheon, but serves him tea laced with sonangcho poison and so kills him. To convince Lord Sangheon to drink, she drinks the tea too, but survives thanks to a medicine given to her by Jung Ji-woon.
The honourable Prince Jaeun ascends to the throne and allows Dam-yi to regain her former identity; she departs into happy exile by the sea with her beloved Jung Ji-woon.
Cast Main Park Eun-bin as Crown Prince Lee Hwi / Dam-yi / Yeon-seon Choi Myung-bin as young Crown Prince Lee Hwi / Dam-yi / Yeon-seon Lee Hwi is a young prince who dies due to a case of mistaken identity. Dam-yi is Lee Hwi's twin sister, who was hidden after birth; she is forced to take the title and responsibility of the Crown Prince due to her brother's death. Rowoon as Jung Ji-woon Go Woo-rim as young Jung Ji-woon Inspector Jung's son. He is a physician at Samgaebang, but is later hired as a Royal Tutor for Crown Prince Lee Hwi. Nam Yoon-su as Lee Hyun, Prince Jaeun Choi Ro-woon as young Lee Hyun Lee Hwi's paternal cousin who is soft-hearted and loyal to her. Choi Byung-chan as Kim Ga-on / Kang Eun-seo Ok Chan-yu as young Kim Ga-on / Kang Eun-seo Lee Hwi's personal bodyguard. Bae Yoon-kyung as Shin So-eun Only child of the Minister of Personnel. Jung Chae-yeon as Noh Ha-kyung Youngest daughter of the Minister of Military Affairs.
Supporting Yoon Je-moon as Han Ki-jae, Lord Sangheon Left State Councillor and Lee Hwi's powerful maternal grandfather. Bae Soo-bin as Inspector Jung Seok-jo Jung Ji-woon's father and right-hand man of Lord Sangheon. Lee Pil-mo as King Hyejong Father of Dam-yi and Lee Hwi.
People around Lee Hwi Baek Hyun-joo as Court Lady Kim Lee Hwi's mother figure who knows about her secret. Ko Kyu-pil as Eunuch Hong Kim Gun as young Eunuch Hong Close aide of Dam-yi after she took over her brother's identity, and the late Lee Hwi's childhood playmate. Kim Jae-cheol as Commander Yoon Hyeong-seol King Hyejong's bodyguard who saved Dam-yi after her birth.
People around Jung Ji-woon Park Eun-hye as Madam Kim Jung Ji-woon's mother. Jang Se-hyun as Bang Jil-geum Worker at Samgaebang. Lee Soo-min as Bang Young-ji Worker at Samgaebang. Heo Jung-min as Palace Guard Gu
Royal Family Kim Taek as Lee Jeong, Prince Wonsan Kim Joon-ho as young Prince Wonsan Lee Hyun's older brother and Lee Hwi's paternal cousin. Kim Seo-ha as Prince Changwoon Lee Hwi's paternal uncle who is always causing trouble. Lee Il-hwa as Queen Dowager Lee Hwi's paternal grandmother. Son Yeo-eun as Queen King Hyejong's second wife, the mother of Grand Prince Jehyeon and Lee Hwi's step-mother. Cha Sung-jae as Lee Gyeom, Grand Prince Jehyeon Lee Hwi's half-brother.
Royal Court Jung Jae-seong as Noh Hak-su Noh Ha-kyung's father and the Minister of Military Affairs. Park Won-sang as Shin Young-soo Shin So-eun's father and the Minister of Personnel who is a loyal subject of the King. Son Jong-hak as Lord Changchun Chief State Councillor and the Queen's father.
Royal Institute Kim In-kwon as Yang Moon-soo Noh Sang-bo as Park Beom-du Kim Min-seok as Choi Man-dal
Others Han Chae-ah as Crown Princess Han Lord Sangheon's daughter and the mother of Dam-yi and Lee Hwi. Park Ki-woong as Chief Eunuch and envoy from the Ming dynasty Kim Do-won as young Chief Eunuch Lee Seo-hwan as Vice Minister of Rites from the Ming dynasty Han Sung-yun as Yu-gon A palace maid. Gong Jin-seo as Jan-yi Shin So-eun's maid. Kim Eun-min as Joseon-born concubine of the Ming Emperor Yoon Seo-yeon as young concubine Jo Sung-kyu as Prince Changwoon's steward Kim Ki-doo as Head of the Bureau of Astrology
Production The manhwa hypothesized the existence of a fictional king between Yejong and Seongjong, but the production decided to remove any reference to real people, setting the series during the reign of a fictional king and changing the background of the male lead.
Casting